Trifecta

by Pam Richter

  Aaron knocked on the side of the door and she called for him to come in. As he was moving toward the desk, she had time to save the whole book again, without using a code. She would edit the manuscript, in case there was anything inflammatory in it. The original would still be on the computer's hard drive, safely hidden from prying eyes.

  "Ah. I see you found my manuscript," Quijada said, as he bent down and peered at the screen. She accessed the first chapter and showed it to him. As he stood beside her she almost felt faint and thought it was an emotional reaction, until she began to sneeze. It was some kind of cologne he was wearing that was causing her eyes to water and her nose to itch fiercely.

  "Are you all right," Quijada asked, backing away.

  "Fine," Julia answered, pinching her nostrils to keep them from itching. "Probably some pollen in the air." She couldn't tell him it was the overpowering, obnoxious scent he was wearing, a sickening combination of spicy and fruity. Kind of like the sweet smell of juicy fruit gum, with the horrible addition of cinnamon and cloves.

  "How'd you find the book?" Quijada asked.

  Julia decided to tell him the truth so he wouldn't think she was holding anything back. He had tried to find the information on the computer himself, and had failed. "Brian used a special access code. I put everything back into the main directory. Now you can just turn the computer on and hit this key," Julia said, pointing to F5.

  If Quijada really was guilty in Brian's death, and suspicious that secrets were buried somewhere within the manuscript, she hoped she had put those notions to rest. Now that Quijada could get the material anytime he wanted, he would be less likely to do so.

  The thought of Quijada sneaking over here in the middle of the night to read it was a little preposterous. It was a large body of work. It would take a lot of time to read the whole thing.

  She thought of something else to allay his suspicions. "I'll print the whole manuscript, right away, and give it to you. You can go over it and see if you would like anything added or changed. At the same time, I'll be editing and making suggestions as to where the pictures should be inserted."

  "You can print it all, right now?" Quijada asked.

  "It will take a few hours, but yes, I'll do it right away if you like."

  He was nodding, thoughtfully. But he was also leaning too close to her. She could see black tufts of hair sprouting from his ears and nose. He had large facial pores, which looked black inside, and his face had small pock marks. From far away he was a good looking man in a swarthy, exotic way, but close up he repelled her. His eyes were watery and his features seemed course and oversized. On top of that, his cologne was making her sneeze.

  Julia noticed him back away, very rapidly. If he was a hypochondriac, afraid of germs to an excessive degree, she could act like she had a cold and keep him at a distance. The man had a menacing aura about him. He also had the arrogant attitude of one used to wielding great power.

  Julia didn't want to believe she was really scared of him, but he was physically powerful also, although he probably had hatchet men who did his dirty work. She wondered how the people of California had been duped to the extent that they seemed to have no reservations about him. She trusted her own instincts and felt repulsed.

  "I'll have a lunch tray sent to you," Quijada said. "You can get started immediately."

  Well, he really was in a hurry to see the manuscript. "Thank you, but I made arrangements for lunch with a friend," Julia said. She hadn't, but she wanted to get off the property and call Robin, tell him what she had found. "I should be gone only about an hour," she added, in case he decided to come in here while she was away and start reading directly from the computer.

  "Okay. I want you to feel welcome, though. If you get hungry, any time, just go to the kitchen and get a snack," Quijada said. "Rosa can help you find anything you want."

  "Thank you. That's very kind. Would it be all right if I walked around the grounds? I want to plan some camera angles. Maybe tomorrow we can take the pictures."

  "Go anywhere you like. The house, too. You might want photos of the interiors."

  "I'll also want to see your production office." She might be able to learn something from co-workers.

  "Fine."

  Julia smiled and nodded. Now she had access to anywhere she would want to go. "I need to pick out pictures from the albums you showed me yesterday, for the book. I'll have to take some of them out, to have them duplicated. I'll process the film myself, so you can be sure the pictures are safe."

  "Those pictures can't be replaced," Quijada warned.

  "I know they're valuable. That's why I want to do it myself."

  As Quijada left he turned in the doorway. "I'm going to leave Bruno in here with you for a while, so he'll get to know you. He's professionally trained to attack strangers. Bruno is better than any security alarm system, but he might scare you, and run at you if he saw you walking around."

  "The dog will attack anyone?" Julia asked. She had a vague plan working in her mind, from the information Brian had left for her, but if the dog would attack, she would have to do it alone. A daunting thought. She had been hoping Robin could help her, but now that seemed impossible. The positive information was that she now knew that Quijada didn't have a security system for the grounds.

  "Bruno's perfectly safe with people I introduce him to. And he won't attack a child. But if anyone came over the walls he would be very threatening."

  Quijada gave the dog a command in Spanish and Bruno went and lay down at Julia's feet. As he was leaving he turned around at the doorway. "You said that your brother had spoken to you before his death?"

  "Yes," Julia said, feeling her scalp prickle with anticipation.

  "Did he say anything about his work? Anything about me?"

  "I really can't talk about Brian," Julia said. She let the tears that were hovering behind her eyes at the thought of her brother show. "He did talk about it, but I can't tell you yet. I really didn't understand all he said. Perhaps in a few days...?"

  "Sure. Sure. I was just wondering," Quijada said.

  She thought that Robin would kill her himself if he knew what she was doing. "He did mention you, but I can't speak about it right now."

  "Another time, then," Quijada said as he left.

  Julia reached down and petted the big, silky black head resting at her feet. It was comforting to have the animal with her. The dog immediately sat up and licked her face, tasting the tears that finally came.

  Julia printed out the first chapter and started reading. As she did so she found herself involved in the poignant story of an immigrant family with five children, traveling around the United States as migrant workers. Even the smallest children worked in the fields, harvesting different crops. They had been virtually destitute and lived in appalling circumstances. One of the children had died young; probably victim to malnutrition, poverty and poor health care. It was quite sad. Brian had done a good job.

  Now Julia had a better idea why Aaron Quijada could grow up to be a ruthless, aggressive individual, willing to go to any lengths to accumulate wealth and power.

  Julia saved the chapter and then looked back at it in the directory. For each chapter there was a time and date indicating the last time it had been accessed. She would know if anyone went into the computer because the date and time would be changed.

  Julia realized she was already feeling protective of the book. Brian had done beautiful work. It deserved to be published.

  He must have been very frightened to abandon something he had worked on so arduously.

  CHAPTER 11

  "I'm so glad I have someone to talk to," Julia said as Robin sat down at the table where she had been waiting. "Thanks for coming on such short notice."

  He had on another suit, like the one he had worn to court, but this one was different, exquisitely made and obviously expensive. Julia was surprised because she had assumed Robin owned only one. She noted that all the women in the restaurant had paused to
look at him as he walked over to her table, probably wondering who the interesting looking man was. Julia had to revise her assessment and admit that Robin was more than interesting. He was very handsome.

  They were at 'The Source,' a restaurant at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Sweetzer Avenue in West Hollywood. It was located in a tiny building with a conspicuously hippie atmosphere; a very 'in' place, and not widely known. Julia had smiled when she saw the attractive Fabio sitting in the patio room. The diners were all acting like they were not impressed, and that no famous people here, but Julia had recognized two actresses, as well as a renowned film director.

  Robin pulled his napkin in his lap and looked at Julia. She was very excited, he could tell by the energy she exuded, almost like a light bulb had gone on within, making her appear even more radiant than usual.

  He smiled at her, "You found something?"

  Julia nodded excitedly. She reached unselfconsciously into the top of her blouse and slipped out a folded paper. He tried not to look when she performed that little maneuver. The fact that she was well endowed was something he consciously tried not to think about.

  Julia was unfolding and smoothing the paper. Then she handed it to him. The paper was still warm to the touch. It was dim in the restaurant, but he could read it. The dimness had to do with his wit. He couldn't make heads or tails of the short note.

  Julia explained about the finding the secret code Brian had used to send her a message on his computer. Then she told him what it meant. There were videos and documents in Aaron Quijada's safe that they would have to gain access to. Also, Brian had warned her not to look at the videos that were hidden in the safe because of something shocking on them, she supposed.

  "What does D.R. mean?" Robin asked.

  "The safe is in the drawing room. Or maybe the dining room."

  "Oh. And what about, he will be a DM. if you find the note?"

  "Dead Man. He meant that if I actually had to go into the computer and find the message, he knew he would no longer be alive."

  "You weren't twins or something?"

  "No. Opposite genders can't be identical twins, or possess the ESP twins are reputed to have. Although Brian and I did have the same coloring, I'm two years older. Even Aaron Quijada noticed the resemblance. Why do you ask?"

  "I just find it extraordinary that you can understand this so easily. Who's Tad?"

  "Tad Potter is the trustee of a foundation my parents created before they died. He's a very smart lawyer. I don't think Brian wanted me to give the information from Quijada's safe to the police. Not here in Los Angeles, anyway."

  I'm also a very smart lawyer, Robin was thinking to himself. "You will be a DW, if you do what your brother told you to."

  "I'll be careful," Julia said. She was still smiling gleefully.

  Robin shook his head He would have to put a stop to her crazy schemes immediately. "Right. You find Aaron Quijada's safe and take out a video and some documents, and you think you're going to be safe when he finds them missing?"

  "No. We get them and then we make copies and put the originals back," Julia answered reasonably.

  "That's assuming you can find the safe, first. Then you will have to get the combination or key, which might be a tricky little exercise all by itself. Then you break in, hoping there's no security alarm to alert Quijada that someone is taking his property. After that's accomplished, you simply sneak off with the stuff and copy it. On top of that, you have to get the material back into the safe without getting caught."

  "He doesn't have a security system on the grounds. And I can introduce you to Bruno, his dog, some time when Aaron is gone."

  Robin smiled nastily. He leaned forward and whispered. "You're casually talking breaking and entering. Possible grand theft. And pissing off a man who might be the next governor of California. Not to mention a mafia don with probably hundreds of his people, selling his dope, who would just love to get into his good graces by killing off a rich little, uppity, blond Boston socialite."

  "I'm not an uppity Boston socialite," Julia said with dignity. She turned up her nose. "I'll do it myself. I was hoping you would help me, but I can see it might be a bit dangerous."

  "Not dangerous," Robin said flatly. "Suicidal."

  "Forget I told you about it," Julia answered.

  "Right."

  They sat glaring at each other in silence as a waitress came over and took their order.

  When the waitress left, Robin leaned forward again and said very softly and persuasively, "Why don't you let me do my work? You hired me to get information on Quijada, and I will get it. You don't have to throw your life away over this."

  "I'm not going to do anything rash. I need lots of information before I can make an attempt to get the things in the safe. Meanwhile, you can go ahead with your investigation."

  "This isn't a race," Robin warned.

  "I know. But it's so tempting, knowing everything we need is right there on the property."

  She looked so excited and happy that Robin found he couldn't dampen her spirits any longer. Also, she was stubborn. If he unequivocally told her not to do it, he would probably spur her on, out of a sense of outrage and frustration. He didn't want to make her angry. That might make her more impulsive.

  "Just hold your horses for a little while," Robin said. "I'll work as fast as I can. And you want to finish the book, anyway. You said it would take a while."

  Julia nodded and smiled at him. "You're right. We do have some time. I promise I'll be careful."

  As they began eating, Robin thought she looked much too pleased with herself. She was going to go ahead with her schemes. He just knew it. He liked looking at her anyway, smug or not. Her hair was down again and he found it hard to believe that she was so perfect looking. Nothing was harsh or clashed dissonantly. She made the other women in the restaurant look like painted dollies, all gooped with make-up and clothes that shouted that they were available. He tried to see if she had make-up on, but he didn't believe so. Unlike his truck, Make-My-Day, she would be beautiful in the morning light.

  After a time, Julia said, "You look very nice, today."

  "Had to be in court again," Robin answered, noncommittally, between bites of an avocado sandwich in pita bread.

  "Why?" Julia asked, really curious.

  "Problems with the law," Robin said darkly. He was smiling inwardly, though, thinking she probably believed she was associating with a ax murderer by now. He would have to tell her the truth soon. To change the subject, he said, "Brian indicated that he was planning to pack and leave as soon as he left you that note." He vaguely pointed his fork in the direction of her blouse, where she had again safely placed it. "Did you notice anything which looked like a struggle took place in the cottage where he was staying."

  "I thought of that, too. Nothing was broken or looked disturbed. The police said there was a mighty struggle, from the injuries Brian sustained, so he must have been lured somewhere else. Or it happened on the grounds of the estate."

  She heard Robin groan and thought he was feeling sorry about what Brian had gone through. Then she noticed that Robin was gazing toward the entrance of the restaurant. She could tell, from his eyes, that someone was approaching.

  Julia turned and saw a woman rapidly moving toward their table, smiling brilliantly.

  Robin stood up politely. "Hi Sarah. I'd like you to meet Julia Monay."

  Julia looked at the woman who was now standing beside their table and smiled automatically. The woman had bright red hair and long red talons. Very pretty in a slightly vulgar manner, with the red hair swept up on one side of her face, and hanging low over her forehead on the other side. She was smiling in a predatory way at Robin with red, pouty lips.

  "Nice to meet you, Julia," the woman said. "Please sit down Robin."

  Robin sat, looking uncomfortable. Julia thought this must be a women he was dating, the way the red-head was trying to hide that she was looking her over appraisingly.

&nbs
p; Julia answered the introduction pleasantly. She certainly didn't care if Robin was dating a vulgar appearing woman, who was dressed in exceptionally tight jeans. Sarah had on a very low cut blouse which did not even reach the waist of her jeans, but revealed a peek at a remarkably tan abdomen.

  "Robin dear," Sarah said, "I expected you to call and explain just why you disappeared the other morning. I was left to fend for myself. Your behavior is really inexcusable." She looked at Julia, adding, "Robin can sometimes be naughty."

  Sarah was smiling, but Julia could tell the woman was quite put out. And she was letting Julia know that she and Robin had an intimate relationship, placing a claim on him as though he was a brawny side of beef.

  "Oh? I wouldn't know." Julia said innocently. "Robin and I just met. We were here on business." She didn't want to interfere with a tawdry affair, or ruin Robin's love life, if his taste ran toward this type of woman.

  "What kind of business are you in, Julia?" Sarah asked. She sounded politely interested, but Julia knew she wasn't.

  Julia searched wildly for something she could be doing with Robin of a business nature. Something having to do with car mechanics. "I was hoping to buy that big truck of his."

  "That yellow pile of trash in the parking lot?" Sarah asked, looking aghast. "I saw it as I came in."

  "No one could possibly miss it," Julia said, smiling.

  Now Sarah was looking at her speculatively, probably wondering if she was lying and using the truck as an excuse to glom onto her boyfriend.

  "I have to do a little more work on the truck, Julia," Robin said, perfectly serious. "I want it in impeccable condition before you drive it."

  "It's really yours?" Sarah asked Robin. She looked mystified.

  "Not for long," Julia said. "I want it."

  "Whatever for?" Sarah asked.

  She must think I'm a dunce, Julia thought. "That truck is retro, a one-of-a-kind." She turned and looked at Robin. "We just can't agree on the price."

  "I don't see why he would quibble," Sarah said. "Robin could give that thing to you."